Automated transaction machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated transaction machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). ATMs have been developed which are capable of performing a variety of transactions including the dispensing of currency notes. Other types of automated transaction machines dispense notes and other types of sheets to users such as bank tellers, cashiers and other service providers. Other types of automated transaction machines dispense items such as tickets, travelers checks, scrip, vouchers or gaming materials. Automated transaction machines generally dispense such materials while assessing appropriate charges and credits to the respective accounts of the user, the machine owner and the provider of the dispensed materials. For purposes of this description an automated transaction machine or an automated banking machine includes any machine that is capable of carrying out transactions including transfers of value. Also for purposes of this description notes may include currency notes, sheets, and other items such as tickets, travelers' checks, scrip, vouchers, travelers checks, gaming materials, promotional sheets or other similar items.
Automated transaction machines that dispense notes, including sheets representative of value, are generally constructed to prevent access to the supply of notes within the machine by unauthorized persons. In most cases such automated transaction machines include a secure chest or other secure enclosure. Access to the enclosure is controlled by a lock or other security device so that the interior thereof may only be accessed by appropriate personnel. The interior of the secure enclosure generally includes storage areas for notes, including currency notes, sheets, and other items representative of value. The storage areas are often disposed on the inside of removable canisters or other types of enclosures that may be readily installed in and removed from the machine when the secure area is accessed. Notes are dispensed by the machine to users from the note storage areas. When the storage areas require replenishment a service person opens the secure chest and replenishes the supplies. In some cases this is done by removing the depleted or partially depleted canisters and replacing those canisters with filled canisters. In other situations it may involve inserting a “brick” of currency notes or other notes into the canisters or other note storage areas to replenish the note supplies.
A drawback associated with the construction of such conventional automated transaction machines is that replenishing the note supplies requires opening the secure area of the machine. This provides the service person with access to all the valuable notes as well as the sensitive electronic equipment within the machine. This presents opportunities for theft and tampering. When canisters are changed, several individuals may have access to the canister during the times when it is being loaded, transported and installed in the machine. Likewise partially depleted canisters returning from machines for replenishment may pass through several hands. This may present opportunities for pilferage, the responsibility for which cannot be readily determined. Tamper resistant and tamper indicating note holding canisters have been developed. However such containers are not failsafe and may still be subject to compromise by skilled thieves. Note holding canisters may also be stolen in their entirety when in transit to and from machines. The use of currency canisters is also expensive. The use of such canisters adds to the cost of the automated transaction machines by requiring the inclusion of mechanisms that can open, close and work in conjunction with note containing canisters. The handling and transport of canisters also add to the cost of machine operation.
Lower cost automated transaction machines are often installed in gas stations, convenience stores and other merchandising facilities. Such automated transaction machines often carry out only cash dispensing transactions. While the reduced capabilities of such machines results in a lower machine acquisition cost, the problems of handling notes still exist. Because the security in such merchandising facilities is often not as high as that found in banking environments, it is not uncommon to use armored car type courier services to carry out cash replenishment transactions in such machines. This adds to the cost of machine operation.
Operators of automated transaction machines in merchandising facilities may desire to replenish the note supplies in such machines with cash that is available within the establishment. Doing this can avoid the cost of having to pay a third party to carry out cash replenishment, which reduces operating costs. However, in many merchandise transaction environments the trustworthiness of the personnel may not be verifiable. As a result the machine operator may not want to give their personnel access to the large amounts of cash which are available within the interior of an automated transaction machine. Replenishing the currency supplies within such machines may be an activity limited to supervisory level personnel. However, despite such precautions shortages and discrepancies can occur. This is particularly true when several individuals have the capability of accessing the interior of a machine.
Recently automated transaction machines have been developed that are capable of “recycling” currency. Such machines are capable of accepting currency notes from a user or operator, and determining the genuineness and particular type of each note. Such machines selectively store the deposited notes in locations within the machine. At a later time when the same or another user requests a dispense of notes, the machine dispenses the previously deposited notes to the user. An example of such a machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,522 which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. While such machines have the capability of having the note supplies replenished without accessing the interior of the machine, such machines are often complex and expensive. The installation of such a machine may not be cost justified in situations where relatively low cost, cash dispense only type machines are currently used.
There are also many other types of self service and vending machines that users operate, such as motor fuel dispensing pumps, vending machines, automated ticketing machines and automated gaming machines. Often such machines have a user interface that is capable of reading a user's credit card. Such machines also generally have the capability of assessing a charge to a user's account in exchange for merchandise or services provided. Increasingly self service machines are being provided with the capability of accepting a user's smart card. Smart cards include a memory thereon which has data representative of monetary value. Instead of assessing a charge to a user's account, such machines also have the capability of deducting the monetary value from the value represented by data in the memory of the user's smart card. Cash receiving and dispensing capability has generally not been provided machines such as those described above, and these machines could be improved by adding the capability to accept and dispense notes.
There are several factors which have discouraged advances in this area. First, cash dispensing and accepting mechanisms have in the past generally been expensive and would render such machines cost prohibitive to acquire and operate. Second, such machines generally do not include the security features included in automated teller machines or cash dispensers, because the items generally dispensed by such machines are not readily disposed of for cash value. Another reason such machines have not been provided with cash accepting and/or dispensing capability is that to do so would require the machine operators to incur the additional costs associated with cash handling previously discussed, that are often encountered in the use of operating ATMs and cash dispensers. A further drawback has been that making cash acceptance and dispensing an integral part of such machines may limit their operation to selected hours and locations where greater security may be maintained. Thus, while users may benefit from having machines such as motor fuel dispensing pumps and vending machines accept and receive cash, it has generally been cost prohibitive to provide such machines with these capabilities.
Thus there exists a need for an automated transaction machine that is more economical to produce and operate, but that is also highly reliable. There further exists a need for an automated transaction machine that is capable of being replenished with notes, including currency notes or other sheets of value without having to access the note storage areas in the interior of the machine. There further exists a need for an automated transaction machine which includes a note receiving and dispensing component that adds only limited cost to the production and operation of the machine.